Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The other day, I noticed that I had over 1,000 views on my old blog. Finding that to be rather odd, I showed Chris, and we discovered that someone started a thread on some message board, trashing it and me. I will admit I was hurt and upset. I immediately blocked my blog so no one else could see it unless I invited them. That might've upset me, but they made me mad when they started trashing my Mommy and her blog. She doesn't deserve to be treated like that, and I will say, that these people do not know us, how we live, or any of that, so they do not know what they're talking about. Let me start off by saying, I am not calling them fools, but the things they said make them SOUND foolish.Someone commented on my post on here about the lovely day I had with Tommy and Chris, they said that my "immaturity really shines on posts like this", I'd like to know what part of loving the time I have with my brothers and loving my brothers is immature. The only thing in the comment that shone through, was a hint of envy and ignorance (not the person being ignorant, but the ignorance of not knowing what our family is like). The person that wrote that was 'anonymous', why not leave your name? Because of that comment, I decided to block this blog as well. However, ya know why I opened this one again? Because closing it was exactly what those people wanted me to do and I will not be defeated and let their foolish talk get to me. They don't see my life and how happy I am, they have absolutely no right, whatsoever, to say those ridiculous things.They were calling my old blog "childish" and stuff like that: ya know what, people? I know some of those posts seemed childish, that is one reason I wanted to close it, I was embarrassed and ashamed of the things I had put up there, and who are you to tell me these things? You don't know me, what right do you have?Yes, my Mommy (I will always call her that, and that does NOT make me childish) and I are best friends, I still grab onto her hand when we go out (yes, in public), wrap my arm around her/hug her, all that means is that we love each other and are best friends. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. To those that said I probably won't get married and that my Mommy will be 'lost without me', you are dead, dead, wrong. Mommy looks forward to the day I get married as much as I do. We know that, one day, we'll be apart, but that doesn't mean we can't spend as much time with one another as we can now. I am thankful to God for my mother, for all of my family and my friends He has given me. If you have a problem with this closeness, the only thing that could possibly lie beneath that, is envy.One person said something about a top I wore to an opera, I had said how it was the prettiest top I have ever seen, they said that, obviously I haven't seen too many tops (or something like that), I ask you, what the heck kind of an argument is that? We all have our own opinions on clothes, there are some shoes that women just LOVE and my Mommy and I don't see how anyone could like them, but that is OUR opinion (yes, OURS, because my Mommy and I have a lot of things in common and think the same way about MANY things because that is how we are, that is how God has blessed our relationship and neither one of us would have it any other way). Even some of my friends wear clothes or shoes that aren't my style and I may not like them, but they do and that's just fine with me because we're not all the same. One of my friends likes wearing darker colors, I'm all about pinks, purples, blues, and the pretty lighter colors, but I think it's great that she likes them!Jesus told us that in this world, we will have tribulation but to take heart; for He has overcome the world. This has been a trial God has given me and He is using it for His glory (I will tell you why I am grateful for this tribulation later). God's Word also says in 1 Corinthians 4:12 "...when persecuted, we endure;", that is what has happened to me. In 2 Timothy 3:12 "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted". You see, people enjoy doing these things, especially to Christians, they want us to cave, to give in because of their ridiculous, hurtful comments, they want us to show our weakness: we can't let that happen. I know it's hard to just ignore the things they say, but we most try and pray to keep our focus on God and remember that they don't know us and cannot change us if we are deeply rooted in Christ and trust in Him for our Salvation and for all things.I am not perfect, I struggle daily with many things and hurt when people say such things, but can't let it get to me.To have all of this happen was a big deal to me because it was just all of a sudden and I didn't understand why it was happening. I kept asking God, "Why are You letting this happen?", I think He answered me today.I have this friend who is going through a hard time right now, with people talking bad about him and being mean to him. God put me through this to give me the wisdom and the experience to help my friend through this. Even though he lives in a different Country, and we've never met face-to-face, he calls me 'sis' and I call him 'bro'. There have been different things through which God has put me and, though, at the time, I was either embarrassed or hurt, He used all of those times to give me the wisdom and to experience it to help someone else.I don't care what these other people are saying about me or my blog (still not happy with what they said about Mommy and her blog, but she's over it, so I should get over it as well), I know the truth and they do not. I feel sorry for them, actually, and I pray for them because Jesus told us to pray for those who persecute us. At first, I didn't really know what to pray because I was hurt, but now I only feel pity for them and pray God might open their eyes to the pain and hurt they can cause other people. Have they no heart? Have they nothing better to do than sit around and trash talk other people and their blogs? There's got to be something else, something important, they can do that doesn't involve being heartless and cruel to people they don't even know.Leave my Mommy alone too, she's beautiful inside and out, any insult from you means you're jealous. I will defend my Mommy and the rest of my family and friends in any way I can and nothing you say is the truth because you don't understand.I think I've covered just about everything, this is long enough already. This blog will remain open, perhaps I will open my other one too, for a new friend who enjoyed it. Say what you will, your words are written out of envy and ignorance.Real quick, I
want to make myself clear: I am in no way calling any of these people
stupid, ignorant, fools, or anything like that; simply that the things
they say make them sound foolish because they don't know us and don't
know what they're talking about, and to talk about something you don't
understand or something, about which you don't know anything, is
foolish. You don't see how we live, you don't understand, so keep your
thoughts to yourself, and if you don't like my blogs, don't read them,
simple as that.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Celtic Thunder's latest CD, "Heritage", is possibly my favorite album of theirs. After "It's Entertainment!", I was a little apprehensive about one after that, seems like they were going downhill. If anything, this album has made them shoot uphill! It is exactly the kind of CD I would expect from a group by the name of "Celtic Thunder", it's perfect.

Track listings & reviews:1. "The Dutchman" sung by Keith.This song is very nice. The lyrics are touching, with a story of true love. The music is quiet and beautiful, and Keith's voice is perfect for this song and sounds very nice. 5/52. "Buachaill on Eirne" (which is also on their first one and also known as "Come By The Hills") sung by Damian.I've always liked this song, it is very nice and makes me long to go to Ireland. Though in the other version, he also sings in English, I do love the Gaelic language and just might like this version better than the other. I've complained about Damian's voice in the past, since he got older, but it sounds really nice on this song, though, at times, he kinda does a weird thing with his voice but, that would be the only complaint, and it's not bad at all. 4/5

3. "Black Is The Color" sung by Ryan.Ryan has the perfect voice for this song. It's one of those songs that he has to get kinda raspy and it's really nice (I love a raspy voice!), the other ones could not pull it off. His voice even goes well with the music, whereas, I can't imagine the other ones sounding so well. He's got kind of a dark kind of voice, which is very nice for the songs he sings; this is a good one. 5/5

4. "My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose" sung by Paul.I like Paul's voice, and I like this song. At times, I don't really like how he has to go high-pitched, but at the same time, I really like this song by him. He sings it smoothly and clear, it's a really lovely sound, especially at the parts when the music gets a touch stronger (I hesitate to say 'loud') and he sings along with it wonderfully. 3-1/2 /5

5. "Home From The Sea"I really like the music in this song and the lyrics are really nice as well. When the guys sing the chorus together, it sounds SO good. I love it when they all sing together, all of their voices mixed together sound really nice and I like it a lot. If I'm to be honest in my review, I must say that I don't think Keith should sing a solo in this song, I mean, he sounds good but, in my opinion, he sings his part too soft. That doesn't take away my love for this song and I will still give it 5/5.

6. "Just A Song At Twilight" sung by Paul & Damian.Paul sounds really nice as the first one to sing and I like how it leads up to Damian. I do find it a touch disturbing that the two of them sing a song like this together. They do sound good together, but it's still disturbing. Especially when they say, "still to us at twilight, comes love's own song, comes love's own sweet song". Yeah, disturbing. I like it anyway. 3/5

7. "The Galway Girl"The new dude, Emmet, starts out this song and he sounds really nice. I really like this song and all the noises they make in the background, tis a fun song and nicely sung. Love the music, too. Damian sounds nice, singing the softer part. Once again, love all their voices together. 5/5

8. "Gold & Silver Days" sung by George & Ryan.This is a really nice song and I like it a lot. The lyrics are sweet and touching, and the soft music and Ryan's background vocals make it sound even sweeter. It's really lovely. 5/5

9. "Noreen" sung by Neil.Yet another sweet and touching song. Sung softly and sweetly. You can almost hear the sadness in his voice as though he's singing it as something that happened to him. It is very nice. 5/5

10. "Kindred Spirits" sung by Emmet.Another touching song about someone who has just lost their mother who has now joined his father. He sings it passionately and sounds so nice. The lyrics are touching and it's as though every lyric touches his heart. Very nice. 5/5

11. "Whiskey In The Jar" sung by Keith & Neil.This is probably my very favorite song on the album! I just love it for some reason; if you knew the lyrics, you would find it very odd that I love this song so much, lol. I really like how the two of them sing it and I love the music. In my opinion, there is NOTHING wrong with this song and it's perfect! The two of them just sound really good together on this song. I can't get enough of this song! This is one of Celtic Thunder's songs that I wish I could see them sing it live! Chris found a video on youtube for me the other day, of them singing it live but I wasn't able to watch it then, and now it's not even there anymore, which makes me sad :( Lol, one part that I really like in this song is when Keith sings, "and I shot him with both barrels", he kinda gets raspy when he says, "shot him" and, therefore, I like it! 10/10

12. "Red Rose Cafe"I like this song. George sings most of this song, except near the end, when the other dudes sing background. Tis a good one. 5/5

13. "A Place In The Choir"This is my second favorite song. It is very nicely sung by all of them and I like the solos as well. I like the lyrics, the tune, and the music, it's all very nicely put together. Very good, gentlemen. 10/10

All in all, I will give the CD 10/10, even though not all the songs have the best rating. It was a really good purchase and I highly recommend it. I purchased it last Sabbath and can't stop listening to it.I hope you enjoyed my review, especially since I sat here listening to the whole thing and, occasionally, had to go back and re-listen to some of the songs (not that I minded, of course).Honestly, I still can't get over how much I love this CD, it's perfect, exactly what I've been waiting for since I heard of them, let me tell you, it was well worth the wait!Now that you know how marvelous it is, go and buy it. Tell them, 'Katie Bekah' sent you, and then you will get 5 dollars off!.....No, not really, please don't do that, you'd just be embarrassing yourself, and the employees would look at you funny-like, and ask, "Who is she?", and you would say, "Heck, I don't know, just some blogger girl. She told me to say it.", then it could go on forever and you and the employee really wouldn't have time to argue about this. Just pay the right price and support the dudes, and both you, and they, will be happy.

One of my favorite things is hanging out with my older brothers. It isn't often we get to do that, but when we do, we all enjoy it.Today, Mommy took Chris and me to Tommy's place and we helped him clean it. He had asked us to come over and help and he implied it was pretty bad, lol, it was ;) We didn't mind though, the three of us jumped right in to do it together and it was rather fun (funny thing is, when the three of us were children, our Aunt 'Nana' would invite us over to her apartment to help her clean it, which was also fun). He and Chris went through mail on his table whilst I was on kitchen duty (my own choice), and I loved standing in there, taking care of the dishes and listening to my brothers talk about video games, music, and goofy stuff (really, I just like hearing them talk anyway :)). We had Chris' iPod on whilst we were working and it was really nice.After cleaning, the two of them played a video game and I watched as they killed zombies over and over again, it was exciting, lol. We then decided to go for a drive: we went to a convenient store, and he got each of us a soft drink and we took a nice long drive, went to Indiana to see the flooding, he took us past Perfect North (was funny to see the snow) and drove through a nice little town. On our way back to his place, he called and ordered pizzas, then we stopped at another convenient store and he went in and got a couple soft drinks, then got a couple movies from a Blockbuster kiosk machine. From there, we went back to his place and were only there a few minutes or so before the pizza delivery dude came, after which, we got our food and drinks, sat down, and watched "Despicable Me", it was a cute little movie.He paid Chris and me 60 dollars each!So yeah, it was a really wonderful day and we always have so much fun together. Tommy always keeps us laughing, you never know what he's gonna say next, AND he'll sing along with some of the songs or make up the lyrics/tune in a high-pitched, goofy voice.I am so thankful God blessed me with such wonderful big brothers! They're totally the best in the world and I love them sooooooooo much and enjoy when I get to spend time with them all to myself. I took some pictures on our drive and will have to share them with you soon.There are not more caring, loving, kind, protective, gentlemanly brothers than mine. I am so thankful for them. I will leave you with a favorite quote of the day:(Tommy driving us to a certain town)Chris: "What town is it?"Tommy: "It's on the tip of my tongue, I can't think of it."Chris: "That's a long name."Tommy: "It's German."

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Let me start off by saying, this is not a theological post, it's about a Christian music group. I do like theology but, am not too knowledgeable in that area.

Lately, I've been listening a lot to one of my favorite groups, Point of Grace. I first got into them about 16 years ago (it seems so weird to be able to say that) when my Mommy got me my favorite album by them, "The Whole Truth" on cassette. To this day, that is my favorite album and has my very favorite POG song, which has been my favorite for 16 years, "God Is With Us". I think I had to get that tape like 3 times because it stopped working, then was finally able to get it on CD!After one of the members left in '03, I think, a new girl joined and their sound kind of started changing and going into more of a country kind of theme, which I, personally, didn't really like. Their first album without her was ok and had some good songs, but after that, they became more country and sometimes I really miss the old sound.In about '08, I think, or something like that, another member left and that's pretty much when it was all country-ish. Granted, I've only heard one song off of their latest album and did have it on my iPod for a little while, it's ok but, Chris ended up taking it off for me because I just couldn't really get into it.Anyway, I do admire Terry and Heather leaving to spend more time with their families but, it would be so great if, just for even one concert, they could get together with Shelley and Denise (no offense to Leigh) and sing some of their old songs, particularly off of "The Whole Truth" (maybe even "A Christmas Story", their best Christmas album, and, actually, one of my favorite Christmas albums of all time!!!), especially "God Is With Us". Of course, it would have to be close to me so I could actually see it. I've never seen them in concert before and always thought it would be awesome to meet them.Shelley has kind of the deeper voice (which I've always loved, and it's not manly, of course) in the group and she sings "God Is With Us" and does an absolutely beautiful job, how I'd love to see her sing it live! I honestly don't really know how to describe Terry's voice but, it is beautiful and she sang "The House That Mercy Built", which is my 2nd favorite, also off of "The Whole Truth", and how I'd love to see her sing that live as well!This might sound odd but, I'm proud of the girls for everything they do for the younger women in our generation, God has truly blessed them and given them a gift of, not only their magnificent voices, but also their way of being able to talk to young women and help them.I must say, even though I've never gotten a few of their newest albums with Leigh, I do not look forward to the day they call it quits, will be a sad day indeed.They were the very first group I've ever liked, the very first I've ever wanted to meet but have never been given the opportunity. They all seem so sweet, loving, and kind (nothing like my Mommy, though;)) and I still think it would be lovely to meet them someday (the original 4 AND Leigh).To be honest, though, I only started getting into them again a couple of years ago. I was so caught up in the newer, 'younger' (if I may) artists that they were considered adult contemporary and I was kind of embarrassed to listen to them because I don't like adult contemporary, HOWEVER, going through my CD's awhile ago, decided I'd like them on my iPod, so Chris put them on for me (he doesn't like them at all) and I was surprised at how often I listened to them and still do. I made a playlist on my iPod of some of my favorite songs of theirs and called it 'Poggly Woggly', LOL, because we've always called them that, if you knew us, you'd understand our goofiness.I keep meaning to listen to their new tuneage, but keep forgetting, maybe one of these days I'll get around to it.Anyway, I s'pose I've said everything I wanted to say. Not sure why I wanted to post about them, just been listening to them a lot lately and wanted to share this with you, even though I'm sure you're not interested.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Even though I've made a list of things to write on here, the words just haven't come to me. I've made a poll asking if I should post some of my poems, please vote. If you have any other ideas about what I could post, please leave a comment and tell me. Or, if you're my friend on Facebook or a follower on Twitter, then comment to me on either of those websites.

In other news, God has blessed us with some gorgeous weather today, it's sunny, 39F right now, with a high of 50, lovely.Also, Mommy and I are near 100%, actually, the only thing that's not right is our voices, other than that, God has healed us and kept Daddy and Chris from getting sick.Been so happy to clean the kitchen and hopefully do some more things today. Chris and I are going to watch a Football game in awhile, it's a big one: Manchester United v. Chelsea FC. After that, hopefully I can get some things done around here, Lord willing.Can't think of anything else to write, plus Chris will want me downstairs momentarily to watch the game, depending upon what time it starts, we're not exactly sure.

Oh, I would also like to wish my bff, Guitargirl, a very Happy Birthday!! Love you, girl! Hope you have a blessed day!